E3 2006: The Final Word on Xbox, 360

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IGN breaks down the pros and cons of each system's performance. How did Microsoft do?

By Douglass C. Perry

Now that E3, the world's biggest electronics showcase of video and computer games, is over, the IGN team has had time to reflect and ponder on its implications. How did Microsoft's breakaway conference sway the common journalist's opinion? Will the Wii revolutionize the videogame industry? Will Sony still dominate this year, despite its lackluster news conference?

E3 serves as a showcase and a springboard for games releasing in fall, but the monolithic event goes much deeper. It serves as a competition for awards, a community event (i.e. a place to party), and a laboratory for game feedback. On a higher level, it functions as the event in which companies lay down their strategies for the rest of the year. In a comprehensive analysis piece today, each of the IGN channels is taking a hard look at how Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony, and the PC community are handling their respective systems, changing -- or not -- the software landscape, and forging an identity in the New Year.

Surprises and Expectations Like all the console manufacturers, Microsoft had a lot to prove going into this year's E3. Having jump-started the next generation by shipping its new console in 2005 and delivering fantastic new ideas to the table, whether we're talking about Xbox Live Arcade, Marketplace, or Achievements to name a few, Microsoft also left a lot of loose ends up in the air. Broken systems, hardware shortages, a miserable Japanese launch, and a lack of exclusive killer apps were just a few of the items on the laundry list of problems Bill Gates' company experienced in last year's launch.

Gears of War opened the conference in real time, and later on we got to play eight-person multiplayer frag-fests. Good times.

So what did Microsoft do to turn things around? Unlike last year, when we knew every single game, announcement, and surprise that Microsoft had to announce at E3, they held back. They didn't give us a pre-E3 breakdown. They surprised us. The first seven minutes of Microsoft's news conference was not filled with glitz and pomp. Instead, Microsoft stripped the entire ceremony down to one thing: Gears of War. Epic's lead designer Cliff Bleszinski appeared on stage with a wireless Xbox 360 controller in hand, introduced himself, and played a brand new in-game single-player level of Gears of War. Having already done the hard work last year by trying to sell the hardware, Microsoft used its second next-gen E3 to focus entirely on software. Great exclusive software, I might add. The kind of software that will shift systems into homes: Gears of War and Mass Effect stood out above the fray, but Crackdown, Too Human, and even little Viva Pinata stand out as unique games with serious potential in their own right.

Microsoft didn't necessarily exceed our expectations (we're so lofty and snobby, after all, hmph!), but it did all the right things and it did them exceptionally well. It surprised us, showed us a healthy reserve of high-quality first-party games, demonstrated a wealth of outstanding third-party support, and expanded on its innovative Xbox Live concept with Live Anywhere. If E3 is all about setting up strong expectations, Microsoft set ours straight by giving us smart, gorgeous games that show off next-generation ideas and graphics. The case for the Xbox was different. There were few games to show, no attention was put on them, and overall, if there was any surprise, it was that there was even less of an Xbox showing that we expected.

Case in Point Microsoft made its first-party cases with two games falling into the main, hardcore category, and three others following up as big potentials, in addition to several great third-party games.

First, Gears of War. We're guilty of it and so is everyone else, but Epic's third-person tactical shooter has received way too much hype. Last year at E3, Epic's game was the lone example of awesome next-generation power in the Microsoft booth, and ever since then we've watched some pretty neat tech demos, and then we watched some more tech demos, followed by several more tech demos. Oy&#Array; E3 was Epic's time to put up or shut up -- and Epic put up. We watched an entirely new level being played, and while we saw slowdown, a little flaw here and there, the whole thing was refreshingly shown in real time. No crappy target renders. No BS CG. No tech demos. Real gameplay with grinding bloody, visceral action. At the show proper, behind closed doors, we engaged in eight-player multi-player matches that gave us the chance to chainsaw our opponents bodies in twain, snipe enemy heads off, and rocket launch grenades into the enemy's general direction for a chunky death. These sessions were easily the most fun I had at the show.

Second, Mass Effect: BioWare's gorgeous RPG takes the deeply engaging, story-based RPGs BioWare is known for and brings them to the next evolutionary step. All characters demonstrate gorgeous animations and superb graphics. The facial expressions were more than impressive. Every character you speak with quickly reacts with the most minute of expressions and voice inflections that connect to you, the gamer, in a real human way. You'll be able to explore vast corners of the galaxy by landing on obscure planets and learning crucial details, gain experience, and all of it on a mobile HQ ship using a kick-ass galactic grid system that's just plain cool. I don't even like RPGs and I'm excited about it.

Oh yeah, and what about that Halo 3 trailer? Or the Shadowrun cross-platform demo? Or the hints at Fable 2 and Forza 2? Microsoft is ramping up full time with great content, and its balance of great exclusive first-party games with full access to nearly all of the top third-party games shows the company coming into its own.